It started as a joke, but I am beginning to really like the idea of writing a paper on depictions of VD in nineteenth century plays. Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen being the most obvious, there were a number of plays dealing with the topic. I could even go further back to Shakespeare's Measure for Measure in which there is a five minute bit about the French disease.
There is much to be said for these early attempts at entertaining and educating the population about this serious health risk. Especially Ghosts which tackles the issue of congenital syphilis with a bit of morality as well. I mean, how can a playwright address VD without also addressing morality...
I need to do a bit of research to be sure it hasn't been written about extensively and then approach my professor about it. Frankly, I can't go too in-depth in only 6,000 words (approx. 20 pages). But I could pick a couple plays and compare the discussion of syphilis to the development of medical knowledge. Or even one text if it came on the cusp of some medical revelation. Fascinating... I wonder if there is a contemporary Irish play about AIDS or some other STD that I could use for comparison?
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